I’m a high school junior trying to get a better idea of what colleges would be a good fit for me and/or if there are any that fit my criteria that I’m missing. I’m planning to go pre med, hopefully somewhere with a very strong program with opportunities for research. I also do a ton with music, I’ve taken piano lessons for 10 years and a good music program would be huge for me in picking a college, I am considering pursuing a dual degree. I’m also trying to find colleges with a good running culture, I run track and cross country and I think I could go varsity for some smaller colleges, but I’d be content with a good running club/culture. I live in southeast Ohio in a rural setting and I’m only really interested in colleges in the Midwest or south, no California or New England for me lol. However, social scene isn’t something I’m terribly worried about, I’m extremely extroverted and I think wherever I go I’d find my people. I’m Christian and lean right politically, so while I’m not opposed to being in a liberal environment since I think I’d be ok, a Christian/not super liberal school would be a plus. I have a 35 ACT and am taking most of the AP classes offered at my rural high school, so I want to shoot high in terms of reputation and rigor.
Colleges I’m considering:
WashU in St. Louis
Northwestern
Oberlin
BGSU (more of a safety than anything, but I really like the environment and music department)
Duke
OSU
Rice
Vanderbilt
Notre Dame
IU and Grinnell are also in the mix but I’d say they’re on the fringe of being cut from my list
You can take the required courses for medical school applications at almost every four year college in this country, arts conservatories excluded.
Research is over estimated in terms of how medical school admissions usually view it @WayOutWestMom can provide more detail.
Your list looks good to me…but it is a bit top heavy. I would suggest you think about the other traits you want in your college…like the music.
Since you have BGSU on your list, would you consider Baldwin Wallace?
Would you consider Lawrence University? It’s a college that encourages multiple majors with music as one.
Some of the colleges on your list have very strong music performance programs. You would need to check to see what opportunities are available if you don’t major in music.
At Oberlin, if you want to do a double degree, and one is conservatory based, you will need to be accepted to both the conservatory via audition, and the college. It will take you more than four years to complete two degrees like this.
I was also going to suggest Case Western Reserve University. Another suggestion would be University of Rochester.
If Denver isn’t too far west (I don’t consider it midwest but some people do, those with the idea that there is NY, California, and everything else is ‘midwest’). It has a fantastic music program although some of it is a grad program. The school was religious (and has a school of theology on campus) but isn’t so much anymore. The music school is probably the most religious thing on campus with religious music programs, Easter and Christmas, and there is a beautiful left over from its Methodist days.
Running is certainly big in Colorado and lots of running clubs. About 3/4 of students at DU do study abroad for at least a semester, many for a year. The cost for that is the same as if you were on campus (and you can use all your FA).
You might also add Carleton (higher rigor) and St. Olaf (perhaps better social fit, and music) to the list? I understand both have good med school outcomes (C info, StO info) and both seem to have a real collaborative vibe.
Also, if anyone could provide the drawbacks of the schools I’m looking at based on my criteria, that would be welcome since I’m trying to narrow down my list lol
Davidson has an excellent BA music program
Several of the schools on your list have music conservatories taht would require auditions for the best music opportunities, Northwestern, Oberlin, Rice and Vanderbilt. Is this what you are looking for? Northwestern’s double degree I believe takes 5 years. I dont know enough about getting a BM in music at one of the schools and fulfilling premed requirements at the same time. You may not need to do a second major for that.
Rice, Vanderbilt, Northwestern and Oberlin will require auditions to their conservatory within a college programs. It is impossible to chance someone when auditions are required for admission. These four have very strong music performance programs.
IIRC, Rice is a bit accommodating of double majors with music. I don’t know about the other three.
4.0 GPA, currently in AP Lit, AP Lang, AP Physics 1, and AP Calc AB, but am self studying for the BC test. Those 4 plus AP Chem (which I’ll take next year) are the only ones offered at my school. Not sure what our exact budget is, but I can say that my family is upper middle class and I’m not likely to receive much need based financial aid, so for the really pricey schools, the more merit based financial aid, the better
Hope College (Michigan)- is Christian plus right/conservative leaning with strong pre-med preparation, plus solid music open to non-majors
Agree, in OH that Baldwin-Wallace is a solid music conservatory option for a student whose main focus is pre-med preparation
Oberlin has a more liberal student body and their music degrees are for convservatory students so that could work as a dual degree student but has more limited avaialbility for non-conservatory students.
DePauw (IN) also has solid music offerings, a more central/right leaning student body and solid pre-med but is heavily greek if that matters to you.
Congratulations on all of your academic accomplishments in high school!
I would urge you to have a conversation with your family sooner rather than later. A family’s socioeconomic class does not necessarily have a direct relationship with the price that the family is willing and able to pay. Although nearly all of the schools on your list offer merit aid, for most of them, it is a very small minority of the students who get it (and only a very small minority of strong students even receive an acceptance, much less substantial merit).
OSU and BGSU should be sure things for you, but if you’re interested in other likely or extremely likely admits, you may want to consider these, all of which I expect would give you generous merit aid:
Some of the colleges on your list either give no or very highly competitive merit aid. Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame. So…a lot of merit at these schools is unlikely.
For excellent merit, look at University of Alabama, University of Mississippi, University of Louisiana, Kentucky, West Virginia. All would be options.
I think that Furman also has a good music program and is more conservative. I believe that we looked and they also have significant merit. If mid atlantic is a possibility SUNY Binghamton and Gettysburg are also options and are less expensive for high stats kids
If you haven’t already, I would definitely look closely at Baylor. Well-known for strength in pre-med, with an excellent music school that is not conservatory-level and thus accessible to non-majors and double majors. It’s a Christian school that is more conservative than most private universities, though still politically moderate and probably to the left of the average citizen (I know multiple conservative Christian families that refuse to send their kids to Baylor because it is “too liberal”). Merit money is common, though it can be hard to predict the amount. Could be a great fit for you.
Do you have a denominational preference (Catholic, some kind of Protestant, Orthodox, CJCLDS, etc.) and preference for the level of religious presence and influence on campus life?
Talk to your parents about the budget limit, and have them use the net price calculator on each college of interest to see if the net price after financial aid makes it affordable.
I’m Catholic, so that would be best, but I’d be just as comfortable in a Protestant setting (I play piano for a Presbyterian church and I’d say the majority where I live is Protestant)